Apparatus for the removal and utilization of slag.



PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905.

T. 0. KING.

APPARATUS FOR THE REMOVAL AND UTILIZATION OF SLAG.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 12, 1904.

7 SHEETS-SHEET l.

I w W am No. 781,887. PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905. T. 0. KING.

APPARATUS FOR THE REMOVAL AND UTILIZATION OF SLAG.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1904.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WIT% 2 zglvzuron A L M gm I AKW "Tamer.

PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905.

T. 0. KING.

APPARATUS FOR THE REMOVAL AND UTILIZATION OF SLAG.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.12, 1904.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

i g I WITNESSES W nromvEr.

No. 781,887. PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905. T. 0. KING.

APPARATUS FOR THE REMOVAL AND'UTILIZATION 0P SLAG.

APPLIOATION IILED JAN. 12, 1904.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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WI TNESSES I TTORIIEV.

PATENTED FEB. '7, 1905.

T. G. KING.

APPARATUS FOR THE REMOVAL AND UTILIZATION OF SLAG.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1904.

INVEIITOR WI TNESSfS 7 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

[NYE/I TOR 250M Ko a A TTORNE) PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905.

T. G. KING.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1904.

APPARATUS FOR THE REMOVAL AND UTILIZATION OF SLAG.

7? )i/TZSES:

No. 781,887. PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905. T. 0. KING.

APPARATUS FOR THE REMOVAL AND UTILIZATION OI SLAG.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1904.

7 SHEETSSHEET 7.

WITNESSES: INVENUI? A TTOHHEV.

No. 781,887. Patented February '7', 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT Orricn.

THOMAS COBB KING, OF MARION, ALABAMA, rtSSIC-i-NOR OF SIX-TENIIIS TOJAMES IV. MCULURE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR THE REMOVAL AND UTILIZATION OF SLAG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 7 '81,88'7, datedFebruary '7, 1905.

Application filed January 12,1904. Serial No 188,757.

To /r/// whom it may concern: end elevation thereof on the line 5 5 ofFig. 5 lie it known that I, THOMAS COBB KING, a 6. Fig. 6 is a plan viewin section of the citizen of the United States. residing at Mapipingsystem in the pit; and Fig. '7 is a modirion, Perry county, State ofAlabama, haveintication of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, vented certainnew and useful Improvements wherein the pit is constructed with a singlein Apparatus for the Removal and Utilization inclined side, adischarge-gate in its vertical of Slag Producedfroin the Smelting ofAIetalwall, and the endless-belt conveyer operating Bearing Ores, ofwhich the following is a full, outside instead of inside the pit.

clear, and exact description, reference being Referring nowtosaiddrawings. Aindicates IO had to the accompanylng drawlngs, formingthe smelting-furnace, and 1111 the usual cinderpart ot thisspecification. runs discharging lnto conduit 11, leading di- Myinvention relates to apparatus composrectly to the pit B, Fig. 1, or bybranches 11* ing a system for the removal of slag from to duplicate pitsB It of like character, Fig. smelting-furnaces, and has for its objectto2. In Fig. 2. indicates the cast-house and {5 provide means whereby slagfrom furnaces the conduit leading thereto, into which the in whichmetal-bearing ores are reduced and molten metal is discharged fromthefurnace A.

smelted is delivered to a specific characterof The Iirst element of mynew apparatus conpit. the slag granulated therein, the heat prosists ofthe pit. It is an excavation in the duced thereby utilized for purposeshereinground, with concreted bottom and walls; but

go after referred to, and the granulated slag reit is provided with aninclined vertical wall moved from the pit to suitable bins, cars. conorwalls whereby the slag is. delivered by veyers. or other receivers, theseveral elegravity to a place or part thereof comparaments constitutingan apparatus which is comtivelysmall in area at or near the bottom ofthe pact, simple in construction, of comparatively pit. In Fig. 1 thepit is shown with four op- 5 small first cost, and of great utility.positely-disposed vertically-inclined walls 11/,

To these ends my invention consists of the and so, also, in Fig. 2 bythe lines 1). Hence apparatus composed of the several elements in theslag is delivered by gravity to a space at combination constructed andoperating to the bottom of the pit, conical or reduced in perform theaforesaid cycle of operations, as area, in which the lower end of theendless 0 will be hereinafter fully described and the conveyor 1) andits :uljunctive parts are lonovel featureselementally and in combinationcated. In the mmlilication shown in Fig. T pointed out in the appendedclaims. there are but three vertically-inchned walls,

In the acconn'ianyingdrawings, illustrating (the fourth wall being perendicular,l the my invention. Figure I is a side elevation repslag beingdischarged through an opening in 5 resenting a blast-furnace, itscimler-runs, the this base of reduced area, alongside of which slag-pit,the slag-conveyer operating therein, opening and outside thereof theendless conand a receiverorconvcyer into which the slag veyer and itsadjunetive parts are located and is discharged. Fig. 2 is a plan viewrepreoperate. seating diagrannnatically the furnace, cast- In buildingthe pit I prefer to extend the 40 house, the slag-pit, the conveyer,means to upper portion 7) of the concrete walls thereof drive theconveyer, and a system of slag conabove the level of the ground andprovide in veyer and receiver. Fig. 3 is an end elevasuch walls on suchlevel an exhaust-water port tion showing the pit made in duplicate, the7), (see Fig. +L,) screened, as usual, to prevent endless-chainslag-conveyers, and means to slag entering it or discharging through it.In 45 drive the same. Fig. A is a side elevation, said Fig. 4, as in theother views, the side partly in section, on the line 4 act Fig. I ofwalls are perpendicular at top, as at 7f, the in the pit, theendless-belt slag-conveyer, and a clined portion Z) beginning at orbelow midsystem of piping within the pit for the utiliway of the height.Ihis is advantageous, as zation of heat from the slag; and Fig. 5 an itenables me to arrange within the pit a series of piping E (see alsoFigs. 5 and 6) for the heating of air or water, a convenient arrangementof which is shown in said views, wherein an inlet-pipe e and anoutlet-pipe are provided. It must be understood that the pit is coveredat top (Z, the usual covering employed being either a metal plate orconcrete, the only slag-inlet to the pit being through the inlet-conduita. A preferable method of supporting the piping E in the pit is shown inFig. 5, wherein the top (Z is reinforced concrete built on beams d, towhich the piping E is clamped or otherwise secured in any appropriateway.

In all devices for slag removal it is necessary to granulate the slagdischarged from the furnace; otherwise it would form hard cakes when itchills. Granulation makes it friable and is commonly effected by astream of water caused to contact with the molten slag on its enteringthe pit from the cinder-runs, for which purpose a supply-pipe, as at m,Fig. 4, is usually employed and is also used by me with my form ofslag-pit. The water-leml in the pit is indicated by the series of brokenlines in said Fig. 4, wherein also is shown the granulated slag m, whichunder the action of the water plus the dropping of the molten slag intothe waterassumes a granular form resembling generally spherical-shapedparticles fibrous and porous in character and about the size ofabuck-shot. Necessarily this process. of granulation fills the pit witha moving body of water heated to great temperature by the molten slagentering through the cinderruns. This heat has never before beenutilized. It is obvious that this water is heated by the slag to atemperature much above boiling-point, the fact being that nearly half ofthe water is converted into steam. In the top (Z of the pit adischarge-port for this steam must be provided, such as a light-weightedsafety-valve V. (See Fig. 4.) The pipingE being immersed wholly in thisbody of slagheated water and steam may serve for heating water caused topass through it to be utilized for heating a building or supplying aboiler or for other analogous purpose. The piping E may be equallyadvantageously used for heating a current of air caused to pass throughit to be utilized for driving a motor to actuate the endless conveyer,dry the granulated slag preparatory to making cement of it, or for otherpurposes.

An advantageous form of my pit and conveyer system is that shown inFigs. 2 and 3, wherein two pits B B (or a series, if need be) are builtside by side, the endless conveyers being duplicated that is to say, onefor each pit arranged in like seriesthe several conveyers in the seriesdischarging into a common bin or receiver, such as indicated at F inFigs. 1,2,and 3. That system may be further extended by supplying insuch bin an endlesscarrier belt, as at f, or by supplying a horizontalseries of outlets G, whereby the slag can be discharged on a train offreight-cars. Another advantage of building my pit and conveyer systemin duplicate or series is that the several endless conveyers which liftthe slag from the pit may be operated from a single shaft ]L, withclutch devices it, whereby any one or more of the conveyers in thesystem may be thrown out of operation. This shaft is driven by anysuitable motor or other power. The drawings Figs. 1 and 2 show asteam-engine and Fig. 3 an electric motor; but it is obvious that thepower required to drive the shaft it may be conveyed bya gearing or by abelt from any suitable source of power-supply. It is to be understoodthat when the device is constructed in pairs or series and one of theconveyers in the system is thrown out of action then the correspondingpit is thrown out of action or rather the slag and water prevented fromentering therein by closing the slag-gate if (see Fig. 2) and by closinga valve governing the water-su 'iply.

In the construction of the pit, whether single or in series, the topplate or covering (Z is to be provided in addition to the steam-exit V,Fig. 4, with a manhole S or other easily-removable part of the topplate, whereby access may be had to the interior for repairs, cleaning,or otherwise. Said top plate or cover (Z is also to have an openingtherein at 7: corresponding to the shape of the casing H, which in- Icloses the endless slag-conveyer, except in the modified form shown inFig. 7, wherein the endless conveyer is arranged outside of the pit.

The means employed in my apparatus for immediately discharging the slagfrom the base of the pit is shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 7. It consists of abox, technically called a boot, (indicated at 2/, Fig. 4,) and it isbolted down to and in a recess at the base of the pit. Two of itsopposite vertical walls are bored to receive the bearing for atransverse shaft S. This bearing is to be covered and protected fromwater and sand, such as that used to cover the shaft-bearings of aboat-propeller. This shaft S carries the sprocket-wheel 01, around whichthe bucket-chain a passes, this bucket-chain carrying a series ofbuckets 12. which are perforated to drain the slag of water as it iscaught up by the buckets. A corresponding sprocket-wheel a (see Fig. 1)is arranged at the top of the conveyer. A belt or chain tightener a isprovided, as usual; also,a lubricating-oil pipe a, (see Fig. 4,) and theboot or box a is provided with the usual leg casing or covering H.inclosing the moving chain and its buckets. It is desirable to galvanizethe chain and its buckets to prevent oxidation from the wet slag andrelieve the cutting due to the attrition of the slag. An inlet-gate WV,governed by an operating-rod VV', Fig. 4, is provided to slide on theoutside of and over an opening in the end wall of the boot. Other formsof bucket conveyer of this type or other suitable means for withdrawingor discharging the granulated slag from the pit may be substituted in myapparatus with like effect. My present invention, hereinafter claimed,is not limited to the use of any particular slagdischarging mechanism.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: Slag is discharged fromthe furnace through the cinder-runs to the slag-pit and is granulated atthe mouth of the latter by contact with the water entering thereinthrough the waterinlet pipe 11/. The overflow discharges through port 6.(See Fig. t) The granulated slag is delivered to the reduced andcomparatively small basal portion of the pit, wherein the lower end ofthe endless conveyer and its boot portion are located. The gate \V beingpreviously opened by operating its handle the slag enters the boot andis caught up by the buckets mounted on the endless-chain conveyer, whichis driven, through its sprocketwheels, by the driving-belt. (See Fig.1.) The buckets when they reach and pass over the uppersprocket-wheeldischarge their contents into the conduit or conduits N, (see Figs. 1,2, and 3.) from which it passes to any suitable receiver or to thetemporary receiving-bin F, Fig. 2, and from thence, if desired, to aseries of cars on a siding.

Having thus described my invention, what .1 claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with thecinder-runs of a furnace or other source of molten-slag supply, of aslagpit having a covered top with a steamoutlet therein and means togovern it, means to supply water to the pit at or about the point wherethe molten slag enters the pit, a waterovertlow therein, a series ofpiping arranged within the upper portion of the pit, with inlet andoutlet tubular connections leading to the exterior of the pit; and meansto discharge the granulated slag from the pit.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with thecinder-runs of a furnace or other source of slag-supply, of a slagpithaving inwardly-sloping walls near its basal portion, and a covered topwith a steamoutlet therein and means to govern it, means to supply waterto the pit at or about the point where the slag enters the pit, awater-overflow therein, a series of piping arranged within the upperportion of the pit, with inlet and outlet tubular connections leadingtherefrom to the exterior of the pit, and a slag-discharging devicehaving its inlet end adjacent to the basal portion of the pit' 3. In anapparatus of the class described, the combination with the cinder-runsof a furnace or other source of slag-supply, of a slagpit constructedwith two or more adjacent chambers each having walls which slopeinwardly near and toward the basal portion, means to severally controlthe slag-inlets there to, means to supply water to the slag as it entersthe pit, means to carry off the overflow of said water, aslag-discharging conveyor in each of said pit-chambers having its inletend in the basal portion thereof, a single shaft operating the severalconveyors in the series, clutch mechanism operating to severally throwthe conveyers out of action, means to govern the inlet to the conveyor,and means to receive and discharge the slag delivered thereto from theconveyors.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 9th dayofJanuary,

THOMAS COBB KING.

\Vitnesses:

()rms. \V. MILLER, GEO. A. JENNES.

